Greetings!

Discussion in 'New Riders' started by Mach22, Jun 3, 2016.

  1. Mach22

    Mach22 New Member

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    Hello all,

    My back story: After putting 18k miles in 2 years on a 2013 CBR500R I decided I could justify my dream bike and got a 2015 Harley Night Rod Special. 12k miles on that one in under a year I was tired of the amount of time I had spent taking it to the shop. Research, friends, and you guys helped me end up with a 2014 VFR800D that had 24 miles on it. Over the weekend (while taking it relatively easy and varying RPM) it's got 150 miles on it and I'm loving the bike. My misses who has only ridden Harleys even loves it! I just wanted to introduce myself and wave "Hello!" from the Seattle area.

    Have a good one and keep it rubber side down!
     
  2. RVFR

    RVFR Member

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    Well Hello Hello from just down the street, Olympia here. Welcome to the crazy world of VFR owners, Nice score eh ;) I'll lets ya off the hook with photos, as your avatar just squeaks by.
     
  3. Mach22

    Mach22 New Member

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    I noticed you were from just down the street! I appreciate the leeway with photos and will work on getting a better one here soon ;). I'm not sure if you spend much time on Highway 18 but that's my daily commute (opposite of traffic thankfully).
     
  4. RVFR

    RVFR Member

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    OMG 18, back in the day it was a great get off the grid route, still is the the best of evils getting to E.Wa. SMH how its changed. Now everyone is on it, so much so now its a freaking freeway, no wonder the former SIR is in peril. Theres just to many people.
     
  5. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Welcome home Mach22
    Small world, now ya got a buddy ta ride with, oh and he's well versed with the VFR.....now get out and ride that puppy
     
  6. A.M

    A.M Moderator Staff Member

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    Hello and congratulations!! So jelly you live in such an awesome area for riding!! :)

    Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
     
  7. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Welcome to The World! Congrats on your new bike. I would love to hear your take on the two bikes HD vs. VFR.

    I know my wife prefers my VFR over my Ducati, she would never hop on an HD she said.
     
  8. Knight

    Knight New Member

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    Welcome to the forum!
     
  9. Mach22

    Mach22 New Member

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    Sadly you're all too correct... It's a gosh darn free-for-all between the semis and distracted drivers on such a narrow road. Honestly that's one of the main reasons I went with the Interceptor... having better handling, visibility, and bright headlights from the factory was something I couldn't get from any other bike in that price-point. Toss in headed grips (I ride at least 10 months out of the year) and it was a done deal!
     
  10. Mach22

    Mach22 New Member

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    I love my HD Night Rod Special and didn't get rid of it, there are very few other bikes that can bring that kind of smile to your face while actually being comfy. I've ridden quite a few different HDs though and as long as you respect them for what they are (along the same lines of an SUV with a lot of power) you won't have any issues. The low seat heights are a huge plus to people like me who feature a low center of gravity. Although, it's a necessity some times since the additional weight can be tricky to manage especially when maneuvering at slow speed, backing into parking spots when it's raining, etc. My misses who is a long time HD rider also (begrudgingly and she'd never admit it in public) loves my VFR and finds it doable even though she's 5'3. Granted, I have the seat in the low setting and 1.25" bar risers.

    I considered a Duc before I got my Interceptor but reliability and comfort were high priorities for me as I do A LOT of commuting. Basically if it's over 38 degrees and under 1/2" of rain I'm on the bike. That was where the HD really let me down... None of the turn signals or the gauge cluster are weather sealed. So when they got wet: poof. In the first 6 months I had my HD I put over 7k miles on it but went through 3 gauge clusters. and 4 bulbs.

    If there's anything specific you'd like to know or have more questions please let me know and I'll be happy to give them my best shot!
     
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